With billions of people accessing the Internet, the Web's governing body has for years been working on a plan to expand the number of available Web addresses. This includes increasing the number of generic top-level domains (gTLDs) so that Web sites are not restricted to things like .com or .edu, but can expand to anything from .technology to .yams.

A recent proposal from the U.S. government, however, has some concerned that government bodies will have the power to "veto" proposed gTLDs they find objectionable. In a guest column for CBS News, a Syracuse University professor suggested that the plan is an "assault on Internet freedom."

The issue is currently handled by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), a California-based organization that handles Internet governance issues. At its inception, the U.S. had a primary role in ICANN, but it relinquished that control in 2009 and instead became a member of ICANN's Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC), a group of government bodies that advises ICANN on issues of public policy.

ICANN has been working on an "Applicant Guidebook," which will basically spell out the rules for proposing and running a new gTLD. The ICANN Board and the GAC will meet from February 28 to March 1 to discuss any issues the GAC has with this Applicant Guidebook. In an effort to streamline the process, the GAC is looking to consolidate its discussion points prior the ICANN meeting via what it calls a "scorecard." Countries can submit proposals, ideas, or objections to this scorecard, and the GAC will present their conclusions to the ICANN community around February 21.

The U.S. contribution to the scorecard, which was published by the Internet Governance Project, would allow the GAC to have a role in rejecting proposed gTLDs.

"Any GAC member may raise an objection to a proposed string [gTLD] for any reason. If it is the consensus position of the GAC not to oppose objection raised by a GAC members or members, ICANN shall reject the application," according to the proposal.

Ultimately, the gTLD issue - what gTLDs are issued and who oversees them - are handled by ICANN. The GAC just has an advisory role. But if the GAC comes across a gTLD it finds objectionable, this U.S. plan would give it the power to reject the gTLD and ICANN would have to honor that rejection. However, there would have to be consensus among every single member of the 100-member GAC to object to the gTLD. For some, that could be viewed as a pretty tough vote to achieve; for others, a good way for governments to assert control over the Web.

The National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA), which oversees the issue in the U.S. via the Commerce Department, said the proposal will prevent certain countries from blocking gTLDs and creating a fragmented Web.

"NTIA believes the suggestion has merit as it diminishes the potential for blocking of top level domain strings considered objectionable by governments," the agency said in a statement. "This type of blocking harms the architecture of the DNS and undermines the goal of universal resolvability (i.e., a single global Internet that facilitates the free flow of goods and services and freedom of expression)."

Milton Mueller, a professor at Syracuse University's School of Information Studies, however, does not think the GAC should have a say at all  consensus or not.

"The Dept. of Commerce is trying to put governments in control of the Internet's domain name system (DNS)," he wrote for CBS. "In an extraordinary reversal of the original U.S. approach to Internet governance, it is proposing that polices developed by ICANN be thrown out and replaced with policies approved by its Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC)."

Mueller said that governments typically "scratch one another's backs" and likely wouldn't object to things like China rejecting .humanrights or Saudi Arabia saying no to .gay.

NTIA said in a statement that it "continues to support a multi-stakeholder approach to the coordination of the domain name system to ensure the long-term viability of the Internet as a force for innovation and economic growth."

About the Author

Before joining PCMag.com, Chloe covered financial IT for Incisive Media in NYC and technology policy for The National Journal's Technology Daily in Washington, DC. She has held internships at NBC's Meet the Press, washingtonpost.com, the Tate Gallery press office in London, Roll Call, and Congressional Quarterly. She graduated with a bachelor's deg... See Full Bio

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